Every week The PocketFives Milestone Report looks at the online poker players who are achieving career-best achievement or reaching new heights in the rankings

Jon ‘apestyles’ Van Fleet Flys By $9 Million

Thanks to his headline-making run in the partypoker MILLIONS, old-school grinderJon ‘apestyles’ Van Fleet not only surpassed the $9 million lifetime earninsg mark, he’s practically made it halfway to $10 million. His seven-figure victory in the mammoth online event, netting him $1,027,000 for first place, was the largest of his prestigious career – one that includes a WCOOP title, an FTOPS victory, and a PokerStars Sunday Millions final table.

The win also jettisoned Van Fleet back deep into the top 100 of the PocketFives Rankings. Last week, Van Fleet was sitting just outside the top 100 bubble, ranked at #101, but now he sits at his current position of #36, due mostly to the enormous 2,266.05 PLB score that accompanied the MILLIONS win. His next challenge is the hike up the steep mountain to $10 million lifetime and he’s well on his way. Only six players have hit that mark to date and after his million dollar score, now only three players are closer to touching $10 million than Van Fleet.

Sweden’s ‘Ariados’ Tops $8 Million

Hailing from the online powerhouse country of Sweden, ‘Ariados’ is the latest of the current crop of Swedes to pass a major milestone. The qualifying cash was his fourth-place finish in the PokerStars $2,100 Sunday High Roller for $20,588, helping him surpass $8 million in lifetime earnings as well as a six spot jump in the PocketFives Rankings, landing him at #20.

To bookend his week, ‘Ariados’ also had a runner-up finish in the Hotter $215 for a second five-figure score in the week, bringing in an additional $13,226.

Make It $4 Million for UK’s Billy ‘BillyChat’ Chattaway

UK-based mid-stakes grinder Billy ‘BillyChat’ Chattaway clawed his way over the $4 million lifetime earnings mark helped by a pair of top three finishes while grinding on PokerStars. The first ws his runner-up finish in the Sunday $22 Double Deuce for over $14,000 and then he bowed out in third place during the Hot $215 for an additional $4,366.

Also of note this week, Top 100 ranked Joseph ‘Jughead11’ Lacasse, Ottawa, Canada’s #1 ranked player, just passed the half million mark.

Brazil’s ‘sitpro2011’ Win’s PokerStars Half-Price Sunday Million, Surges in Top 100

Perhaps it’s because the holidays are almost here but there was relatively few players making new career-high marks in the PocketFives.com Worldwide Top 100. In fact only three players, hit new heights, the most notable is ‘sitpro2011’who, after winning the PokerStars Half Priced Sunday Million for $197,163 rocketed up the charts from #86 all the way to #31 due to the 1,377.43 PLB points that come with a major victory.

Career High Rankings In Top 100